The Use of Orientalist Stereotypes and the Production of Kitsch: Tourism Architecture in Turkey in the Face of Social Change

Abstract

This study aims to examine the imposition of an orientalist perspective to architectural productions and intends to show how that perspective creates examples of kitsch by means of its use of orientalist stereotypes. It is acknowledged today that there is a strong inclination in touristic contexts to form and enliven imaginary worlds that conjure superficial ideas about the settings in tourists’ minds, by effectively using architecture. This is specifically true when the touristic settings are located in the so called ‘Orient’ or in contexts that have lineage with orientalist dreams. Such practices by the use of stereotypical orientalist images in architecture give rise to the creation of ‘kitsch’. In this study, these concepts are studied theoretically and exemplified by way of architectural cases from Turkey. The cases are comprised of five specific touristic establishments in Antalya, which are namely the Topkapi Palace World of Wonders, Kempinski Hotel the Dome, Mardan Palace, Crowne Plaza Hotel, and Delphin Palace Hotel. These architectural productions are analyzed formally by in-site survey and discussed as architectural consequences of the orientalist standpoint. It has been found out that the selected touristic establishments consciously use the stylistic stereotypes of the Orient to recall stereotypical Oriental images. In that way they also carry within themselves all of the features that make art works instances of ‘kitsch’. This study suggests that such trials by the use of stereotypical orientalist images in architecture create examples of kitsch. The specific architectural cases are interpreted in this framework as the architectural consequences of the internalization of the orientalist standpoint, and on account of that, as forms of ‘Orientalist Kitsch’.